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Again, offense is the emphasis for Bucs in draft

 
After making Jameis Winston the first overall pick in the draft, the Bucs tried to surround him with as many young, fast and talented players as possible. [EVE EDELHEIT | Times]
After making Jameis Winston the first overall pick in the draft, the Bucs tried to surround him with as many young, fast and talented players as possible. [EVE EDELHEIT | Times]
Published May 15, 2015

TAMPA — It starts with freshly minted quarterback Jameis Winston. From there, the only way to cure the sick dog that was the 2-14 Bucs is to surround him with as many young, fast and talented players as possible during the rest of the NFL draft.

That was the weekend plan for general manager Jason Licht and coach Lovie Smith. While the arrival of Winston, the No. 1 overall pick, quickens the pulse, it doesn't mean anything if he has no time to throw and slow, plodding weapons surrounding him.

"It really is true, you bring these guys in together. They're young. They have each others' backs," Licht said. "They just get used to this environment together. It will be fun to watch them ascend. We've got some young players on that offensive side of the ball, and I think we're going to prove to a lot of people we're a lot better than we were last year.

"I never know how things are going to go, but I'm more excited about this draft than I've ever been on any staff, all the way from rounds one through seven."

Taking a helicopter view of the Bucs' 2015 draft, there was Winston, two big, athletic offensive linemen to protect him, a pair of exceptionally fast receivers who also return kicks and a beefy fullback to punch holes for the running game.

Friday was about fortifying the Bucs' porous offensive line by drafting Penn State tackle Donovan Smith and guard Ali Marpet of Division III Hobart College in the second round.

Saturday, the Bucs began the draft by taking the only defensive player under the current regime — LSU linebacker Kwon Alexander.

Then it was back to trying to win with Winston.

Though the Bucs have bookend receivers in Mike Evans and 32-year-old Vincent Jackson, they felt the need for more speed.

Kenny Bell, the all-time leader at Nebraska in receptions (181) and yards (2,689), ran a 4.34 40-yard dash in a workout for the Bucs and became their fifth-round pick. Bell also led the Big 10 in kickoff returns and covers kicks.

Licht joked that his dad, Ron, a Nebraska season ticket holder since the 1960s who watched his son play in Lincoln, recommended Bell, whose father Ken played for the Broncos.

"My earliest memories when I started playing football when I was 6, and it means everything to me to be able to follow my dad's footsteps," Bell said.

In the sixth round, the Bucs took Utah receiver/kick returner Kaelin Clay. Smith was spoiled in Chicago with Devin Hester returning kicks, and last season the Bucs spun a roulette wheel but never settled on a starter. Licht says the job is Clay's to lose.

The Bucs concluded by choosing Hawaii fullback Joey Iosefa.

"It's one of the things we needed to do, get faster and more athletic up front but also we needed to get tougher and we needed to get more physical and we needed to get mature guys and smart guys," Licht said. "And we accomplished that, that's for sure."

The one area the Bucs didn't address for the second year in the draft is the pass rush.

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"For lack of a better cliche, the well dried up of guys we thought could make an impact," Licht said. "We can't solve everything and we know that."

So how much better are the Bucs?

"Tremendously better. Remarkably better," Licht said. "Starting with the hiring of (offensive coordinator) Dirk Koetter. That alone made us a lot better, and we've been able to add pieces as we've gone here that we're excited about, to say the least, starting with the quarterback."